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WASHINGTON – Today, Chairman Trey Gowdy (SC-04) released the following statement in support of H.R. 3731, the Secret Service Recruitment and Retention Act of 2017, which raises the statutory cap on total pay for Secret Service employees.
“Proper funding is critical to an agency tasked with a zero-fail mission. Extending the pay cap waiver at the Secret Service ensures agents, officers and other employees are properly compensated for the critical work they perform each day. Though raising the pay cap is a necessary short term fix, meaningful reforms must be incorporated at the agency to properly address high attrition rates and other systemic issues that threaten the success of their protective mission. I want to thank Rep. Katko and Ranking Member Cummings for introducing this bipartisan legislation.”
Background:
H.R. 3761 was introduced by Rep. John Katko (R-NY) and Ranking Member Elijah Cummings (D-MD). Original cosponsors include Chairman Gowdy, House Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX), Homeland Ranking Member Bennie Thompson (D-MI), Rep. Bonnie Watson-Coleman (D-NJ), Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX), and Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX).
H.R. 3761 will be considered at Wednesday’s Committee business meeting.
In December 2016, the Overtime for Protective Services Act of 2016, was signed into law which granted an exemption to the Secret Service from the pay cap for all of 2016.
Bill Details:
- Raises the statutory cap on total pay at the Secret Service from GS-15 ($161,900) to Executive Schedule Level II ($187,000).
- Covers all protective service through the end of 2018.
- Provides relief to approximately 1,300 Secret Service employees.
- Requires the Secret Service to submit a report to Congress on recruitment and retention efforts.
- Establishes requirements to assist Congress in studying the scope of the Secret Service’s protective mission to inform future workforce planning and hiring.
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